Art has always preferred getting a watermelon for his birthday instead of a cake. His parents owned a mom and pop restaurant when he was a kid and he feels he had enough sweets then to last a lifetime.
.jpg)
It was therefore rather ironic that his favorite daughter (OK, only daughter) Tiffany is allergic to it.
This photo was from 2014 when Tif was visiting us with her family.
It's now watermelon season and Art has started seeing watermelon in huge bins at Sam's Club.
Art and his sister who also loves watermelon learned all the tricks to choosing the perfect watermelon.
.JPG)
This year, my brother's wife texted this chart for us to look at. And yes, we've always followed those guidelines except #2 and #4. We didn't consider the dullness coloring or the webbing. We'll have to try to remember that too next time.
.JPG)
Whatever the case, the watermelon we chose was perfectly sweet and wonderful.
I wonder if they make watermelon cake.
Just kidding... 😂
POSTSCRIPT:
Our friends brought over a watermelon that didn't have any of the requirements and it was fabulous!
Sue likes watermelon, so I recently purchased some slices for her. I don’t hate it, but I don’t prefer it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in my twenties, (am 76 now) and had my own household, and did the shopping , I was told this : Pat your head with a decent strength, note the sound. Pat your chest, note the sound, pat your stomach, note the sound. Then pat the watermelon with the same strength, and if it is similar to your "pat the stomach sound" the watermelon is nice/good to eat. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is so much fun. I can just see us patting our stomach at the Sam's Club store. I think my empty head makes the closer sound though. Thank you for stopping by Suranga. It's so nice to hear from you again.
DeleteI have never heard of a watermelon allergy. Aren't they like 99% water? I feel sorry for your daughter.
ReplyDeleteI don't pay attention to #2 or #4 either but I follow one more rule #7. We live not to far from one of the premier watermelon growing regions in the U.S. so rule #7 for me is to see if it is a Muscatine watermelon. If it was grown near Muscatine, Iowa, it is guaranteed to be the sweetest watermelon. The ones we get here in Walmart are always imported from out west and thus picked before they were fully ripened to ship.
Well, they make watermelon candy, so the flavoring must be somewhere in order to make a cake. That's a nice watermelon with a very thin rind. (I haven't hear of a watermelon allergy, but I had one patient with a cantelope allergy.) Happy Birthday to Art! Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteWell... his other favorite is watermelon Outshine frozen fruit bars. He has two boxes of them in our freezer next to my frozen fudge bars.
DeleteI do look for the yellow spot my sister had told me that long ago-Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI like watermelon but not to have a whole one. I like little pieces. I think I never liked the messy sticky dribbles it left on me as a kid.
ReplyDeleteLooks wonderful!
Happy birthday to Art. He's a smart man to prefer watermelon over cake. I like the descriptive chart!
ReplyDeleteArt's parents owned a sweet shoppe when he was growing up and I think he feels he's had enough sweets for a lifetime. But sweet fruits is a whole 'nother animal.
DeleteYour watermelon is perfect!!! Somewhere I saw a video where they carved a watermelon to resemble a cake. If I ever see it again, I will share it!
ReplyDeleteI used to eat watermelon sprinkled with salt. Perhaps more than sprinkled, lol. It sounds weird but tasted wonderful. That flavor is one of the things I miss most about giving up salt.
That's how I eat my watermelon too!
DeleteI love that Art chooses watermelon over cake for his birthday, it feels like such a fun little tradition. It’s funny how something as simple as picking the right watermelon can become a family skill passed down over time. I never knew there were so many tricks for finding a good one, now I’ll be looking at the webbing too. Glad this year’s choice turned out perfectly sweet.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! That's an excellent tradition and much healthier. I wish I liked melons! For their wedding 9 years ago, my daughter's brother-in-law made a watermelon cake. I think it had other fruit on it too. I'll have to look for the photo of it.
ReplyDeleteWe all love watermelon in this family - so delicious, cool and juicy. Happy birthday, Art.
ReplyDeleteNo stems on our watermelons. The hollow thump is what I go by. It's always tricky though to guess what's inside. Happy Birthday to Art!
ReplyDeleteLOL, go figure! Watermelons are way too big for me to cut and way too much for me to eat. I wait for slices from my daughter. And I feed the rinds to my worms.
ReplyDeleteI have seen watermelon "cakes" that were a peeled slab of watermelon covered with whipped cream.
ReplyDeleteArgh, I almost bought a little watermelon today but there were so many and it was crowded and, and, and...now I'm sorry! Next time for sure. I do have a cantaloupe to enjoy for dinner. I enjoy all melons (unless I get a crumby one of course). But cake is such a different animal, I don't think I can say one is better than the other! Thank you for sharing the charming picture of Tiff and her dad!
ReplyDeleteCeci
As for melons... my absolute favorite is the Sugar Kiss melon. Only problem is that it's rather expensive. I have a feeling Art will be on the hunt for another watermelon soon.
DeleteI will try these tests the next time I buy a watermelon.
ReplyDeleteThis is very helpful as my superpower is choosing a bad watermelon. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteWell, who knew?! What fun.
ReplyDeleteWe hardly ever buy a whole watermelon. Occasionally I have bought a container with cut up pieces. Don't think we could eat a whole watermelon. But your tips are great! DH would definitely prefer cake...
ReplyDeleteMy wife actually bought a yellow watermelon the other day for $15. My stepdaughter and her seem to like it
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to Art 🍉
Yes...you can add watermelon puree to a white cake mix and make a watermelon flavored cake. My clever dil turned the recipe into cupcakes. She used green papers, pink frosting with mini chocolate chips for seeds. They were very cute.
ReplyDeleteKay of Musings: Wow! That’s genius! I’ll have to tell Art. 🤩
Delete